{paper mache tea light}

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paper mache tea light from {nifty thrifty things}

Ever since I started working full-time, I haven’t really found much time anymore to craft with my mom..

A few weeks ago, though, we had her over for dinner and crafts. Well, while the hubby made dinner (yummy tacos), my mom and I got crafty. The perfect evening! ;)

paper mache tea light from {nifty thrifty things}

We (tried to make) made paper mache tea lights. Well, tea lights (plural), turned into tea light (singular).. Out of the 6 tea lights we made, only one survived.
That’s nothing new to me and my mom, though. We fail at crafting from time to time, hehe.

We learned from our mistake and rescued one of the tea lights. The problem was, that we didn’t use anything to prevent the paper from sticking to the glass..

What you’ll need:

  • paper
  • wallpaper paste
  • a bowl or glass
  • gold leaf
  • gold leaf adhesive
  • a brush

paper mache tea light from {nifty thrifty things}

How to:

  1. Mix the wallpaper paste.
  2. Tear the paper in small strips.
  3. Important (where we messed up ;) ): Use Vaseline and cover the bowl or glass to make sure the paper doesn’t stick to it too much.
  4. Adhere the paper strips to the glass or bowl. Apply two to three layers.
  5. Place the glass or bowl in the microwave. Check every few seconds to see if it tried.
  6. Remove from microwave & use oven mitts to take off the paper mache top.
  7. Let cool off.
  8. Brush on gold leaf adhesive to the inside of the paper mache tea light.
  9. Carefully place the gold leaf sheets on the adhesive covered parts, covering the whole inside.
  10. Use a soft brush to brush off the excess gold leaf.
  11. Optional: Paint the outside with chalk paint.
  12. Place a tea light inside and enjoy the cozy light. :)

 

I’m partying here! ❤

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{new year’s fortune cookies}

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fortune cookie from {nifty thrifty things}

Now that we’ve left the Christmas Holidays behind us, it’s time to prepare for the next big day! New Year’s is just a couple days away.. I can’t believe we’ll be welcoming the year 2013 already! Where did the time go?!

Last Thursday I finally got to meet up with my mom again to bake, craft & hang out and we made these homemade fortune cookies with personalized fortunes.
This is a great, simple & fun baking project for your New Year’s party!

fortune cookie from {nifty thrifty things}

fortune cookie from {nifty thrifty things}

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

fortune cookie from {nifty thrifty things}

I’m partying here! ❤

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{wire hanger chandelier}

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Last week was crafting time with my mom again and we created two nifty, thrifty DIY chandeliers, made of old wire hangers.

It’s an inexpensive and easy craft to bring Spring inside your home!

What you’ll need:

  • 5 wire clothes hangers
  • pliers
  • string
  • flowers
  • fabric
  • decorations, like little vases, electric tea lights, ribbon, or, or, or.. ;)

How to:

  1. Pull on the straight part of the wire (where a pair of pants would hang), as shown in the picture below.
  2. Turn the hook in a 90° angle to the shape.
  3. Create a circle(-ish) shape out of each of the 5 wire clothes hangers, using the pliers.
  4. Lay the rounded hangers on top of each other and space the hooks out evenly.
  5. To attach the wires to one-another , “weave” the hangers until you have a sturdy structure.
  6. Now, decorate them with what you have on hand.
    – For our first chandelier, we used thin floral wire to attach some flowers and greenery to the fixture.
    – Our second chandelier is made of strips of scrap fabric, that are attached by tying them in knot around the wire.
  7. After decorating the top part of the chandelier, hang little vases or electric tea lights from the hooks
  8. To hang the chandelier, attach a string to each of the 5 parts where the hook meets the rounded wire.
  9. Gather the five strings together in the middle and secure them by tying a little loop to hang the chandelier on.

I’m partying here! ♥

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{black forest bundt cake}

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Last Sunday when I met up with my mom to go to the flea market, we also decided we wanted to bake.
Unfortunately, if we don’t plan ahead, we are limited to using what we have on hand — all stores are closed on Sundays in Germany.

So, after raiding the cupboards and fridge, we came up with a different take on the black forest cake: A black forest bundt cake.

I’m partying here! ♥

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{cold remedy: lemon ginger syrup}

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With less than three weeks until spring officially starts, we’ve almost made through winter and hopefully we can wave the cold weather goodbye soon.
Surprisingly, I haven’t gotten a bad cold all winter long. I’ve had, however, a few days where I was feeling a cold coming. On these days, I made sure to eat and drink lots of vitamins and keep myself warm.
One of the home remedies I use against upcoming colds is lemon ginger tea.
It’s full of natural goodies. The ginger is pain relieving, antiseptic and also helps relieving congestion. The lemons are full of vitamin C to boost your immune system.


 

I’m partying here! ♥

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